Harvard Office for Sustainability & Earth Friendly Products Host
Youth-Lead Environmental Summit Aimed to Turn Fear Into Action
BOSTON, MA, October 7, 2019 – On Friday, October 4th, Harvard University’s Office for Sustainability and safer cleaning products manufacturer Earth Friendly Products® hosted the first-ever Harvard Environmental Action & Leadership Summit (HEALS). Held at the Harvard Faculty Club, the youth-led conference featured engaging and interactive panel discussions and workshops with leaders in business, policymaking, and environmental science.
In the face of unprecedented environmental crises, the conference engaged students, faculty, community and global leaders to move beyond talk and initiate a collective action to protect and promote the planet and human health.
Topics discussed touched on policy change, leadership and individual action, featuring speakers including:
- Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President & CEO of Earth Friendly Products
- Heather Henriksen, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Harvard University
- Robert Stowe, Director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements and the Harvard Environmental Economics Program
- Benjamin Schneer, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University
- Sal DiDomenico, Massachusetts State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts State Senate
- Katie Allen, Executive Director of Algalita Marine Research and Education
“I am thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking event to highlight the important role that business must play in being a champion for change and finding innovative solutions alongside our youth leaders,” said Vlahakis-Hanks. “Working with Harvard sophomore Anushka Bhaskar and the students of the Harvard Environmental Action & Leadership program has been inspirational and fills me with great hope and optimism for the future of our planet.”
HEALS is a leadership incubator created to inspire a deep cultural shift centered on environmental action. The conference seeks to equip the Harvard students and citizen-leaders with the critical understanding that each and every person, no matter their academics, personal background, career goals or interests, has a place in the movement to save our world, from unprecedented environmental crises of mass scale.
Earth Friendly Products, the maker of ECOS® plant-powered laundry detergent and household cleaners, is dedicated to making products that are safer for people, pets and the planet. An industry leader, Earth Friendly Products is the world’s first company to have achieved the sustainability “trifecta” of carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and ZERO Platinum Zero Waste certification.
ABOUT EARTH FRIENDLY PRODUCTS®
Family-owned and -operated since 1967, Earth Friendly Products® is the maker of ECOS® Laundry Detergent and over 90 other sustainable cleaning products that are safer for people, pets, and the planet. Made with plant-powered ingredients, ECOS® cleaners are thoughtfully sourced, pH balanced, readily biodegradable formula, easily recyclable, and never tested on animals. Over 90 ECOS® products have received the coveted U.S. EPA Safer Choice certification, which means that every ingredient is the safest in its class and that formulations are effective and demonstrate sustainability without sacrificing quality or performance. ECOS®, Baby ECOS®, ECOS® Pets, and ECOS® Pro cleaners are available at major club and grocery retailers and natural foods stores throughout the U.S., in over 60 countries, and at ecos.com, babyecos.com, and other online retailers.
Harvard Environmental Action & Leadership Program
HEALS is the catalyzing event for the Harvard Environmental Action & Leadership Program. HEALS was created to inspire a deep cultural shift centered on environmental action. HEALS aims to connect students to ways that environmental action is relevant to their areas of interest, to network existing environmental groups and related multidisciplinary university-wide academic initiatives, and to empower each individual with the understanding that their actions result in systemic change and add up to create a culture of environmental literacy and a system of action.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Angelyssa Granillo, angel@ideahall.com, 714.263.8743